Portable electric light



Sept. 9, 1924. 1,507,768

C. B.COLL!NS PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT Filed July 30. 1923 2 Shoots-Shut 1 Zijl-w65@ n I 73' CM Sept. 9 1 924.

c. B. coLLlNs PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT Filed July 30. 1923 2 Sheets-Shut 2 Patented Sept. 9, 1924.

UNITED s'm'rasV CAP B. COIJLINS, OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

Application led July 80, 1923. Serial No. 654,505.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CAP B. COLLINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Electric Lights, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to features of novelty an improvement in electric lamps of the portable type designed and adapted to take the place of the so-called electric flash lamps employing small batteries which re uire more or less frequent replacement.

11e-leading object or purpose of the invention is the provision of an appliance of this neral form which dispenses with, or avoi s the use of, the short-lived batteries and, accordingly, my improved device incorporates an electric-generator and an associated spring-motor which may be wound up and employed to run or drive the generator for `a substantial period of time to su ply the electric current to the lamp-bul the latter bein desirably supplied with an ap ropriate rer ector.

1he spring-motor is preferably equipped with a suitable overnor, wherebv the generator is actuat at a practically constant speed thus delivering to the electric-lamp circuit a current of substantially unvarying voltage.

rlhe redector, electric-lamp, and electricdynamo are so constructed and associated togather thatl they are more or less nested within one another, the generator, or at least a part of it, being on the exterior and partiell enclosing the reflector which acconirno ates the electric-lamp bulb within it.

This construction results vin a compact appliance which occupies comparatively small space, and the device as a wholeis of pleasing appearance and of relatively small weight so that it may bev easily carried yaround in the hand and used for the same purposes that the well-known flash-light, battery appliances are employed for, the new device bein a convenient and desirable substitute for t ve structures at present on the market.

All ofthe parts of the applianceare preferably enclosed in a casin havingone section revolubly mountedwith relation to the remainder of the shell, such rotatable part being .ised by turning it to wind up the motor, the latter conveniently having a brake or stop for starting and terminating its operation.

To enable those skilled in the art to have a full and complete understanding of the invention and the several advantages accruing from its use, in the accompanyin draw` ings, forming a part of this speci cation, and throughout the several views of which like reference characters are'employed to refer to the same elements, I have illustrated a desirable and preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to beunderstood that the invention is susceptible of other acceptable and satisfactory incorporations in ph sical form.

n these drawings:

.Figure l is 'an elevation or side view of the new appliance;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the same;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-section on line 3 3 of Figure 2;

i Figure 4 is a similar cross-section on line 1f-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a cross-section on line of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a face View of the generator' stator and associated parts removed'rornthe casing;

Figure 7 is a plan or face vieur o f the generator rotor; and l Figures 8 and 9 are a fragmentary eievation and section, respectively, of the brake operating means for starting and stopping the spring-motor. Y

Referring to these drawings, it will be perceived' that the appliance includes a stationary shell or casing section 11 receiving internally the inner, reduced-diameter` part 12 of a flaring casing-section 13, `the parts 1l and 12 bein detachably fastened to-` gether by a num er of screws 14, le.,

A plurality of inwardly-extended posts 15, 15 mounted on the end-wall 16 at their ends carry a round support-plate 17 providing a bearing for a shaft 18 having a threaded end 19 screwed into, a screwthreaded socket 21 secured on the inner .face of the end-wall 22 of al casing s ec btion 23 rotatable with respect to the section '11 and having a part 24 of reduced sectlon received in the end of the latter.

To facilitate the turning of member 23, it and the other shell section 11, are pro- .such ring and convergin vided with rings of knurling 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29. f

n Casing element 23 houses a plurality of inter-connectedspiral springs 31, 32, 33` and 34 forming a spring-motor rofknown type, which needs no detailed description, except to state that the turning of shaft 18' with the casing member puts the springs under strain, shaft 18 having fastened thereto a ratchet-wheel 35 in cooperative. relation with a spring-pressed dog-36 fulcrumed at 37 on the inner or under side of the supporting plate 17, and that the spring 34 has an internal-gear 38 in mesh with a small gear 39 on a shaft 41 having bearings in plate 17 and in on@l orboth of a pair of similar plates 40 and 50 also mounted on the posts 15.

Between these latter plates and on suitable shafts there are aseries of intermesh.- ing gears provided for thegpurpose of rotating the generator-rotor at a. much faster speed than the rotation of the spring-motor shaft, this gearing comprising cooperating airs of gears 42-43, 44-45, 46-47, and

.48-49 between shaft 41 and the centrallydisposed rotor-shaft 51, the lower end of which has a bearing in an end of shaft 18. Gear 48 is also in mesh with a gear 52 on a governor-shaft 53 equipped with a peed governor 54`substantially like that of S. atent 1,407,413, Hasselquist, centrifvugal governor, granted February 21, 1922 and which consequently requires no further description. n

A metal-shell 55 of the shape in crosssection shown in Figure 2 is internally fitted with a reflector 56, and between the inner portions of the two, a screw-threaded lampsocket `57 is mounted in suitable insulation mlaterial 58, and the inner, centrall, apertured, end wall of shell 55 is efuipped with a pair of complementary insu ation elements 59 and 61 affording a bearing for the outeror upper end of the rotor-shaft 51, the end of which is in contact with the metal end wall of the lamp-socket adapted to receive the electric lamp-bulb 62. l

The electric-generator rotor is mounted on shaft 51 between the members 61 and 16, and, v in the present instance, comprises three, bent, magnet bars 63, 64, and 65 superposed on one another, all fastened at their centers to the shaft, and arranged at angles of 601 degrees to one another, the ends of each bar diverging outwardly at 66, 66 and then converging outwardly at 67, 67 forming pole-pieces in register and cooperating with the poles of the stator about to be described. l

vA metallic ring 68 with anfinclined annular face 69 is secured to the part 71 of the shell 55 and projecting inwardly from toward one another are a plurality of aminated polewire or magnet coils 73 prope the end faces of these Y stator pole-pleeces are oblique to the axes thereof and are substantially pagallel to the pole-pieces of the rotor, theqavral stationary pole-pieces being fitted with their rly connected together and to the electrlc-lamp socket, one element of which may conveniently be grounded.

When the parts are in assembled relation as shown in Figure 2, the ring 68 fits inside of the mouth of the enlarged end`of casing 11, with a ring of insulation 74 between the two, the shell 55 having an outer casing member 75 fastened to it by screws 76 and demountably holding a lens'77 in place in front of the lamp and its reflector.'

lt will be seen, therefore, that the stator of the generator is so made that it encloses or encases the lamp-bulb and reflector at least partially and that the generator-rotor inv part surrounds the socket receiving the lamp-bulb.

This makes a. compact, simple, and relatively-inexpenslve construction which is pleasing in general appearance and which is not unduly long or out of prfportion.

So far as I am advised, am the iirst person to mount the electric-generator in the head of an appliance of this kind. in the manner fully described and illustrated.

The spring-motor -having stored up a supply of energy by the winding up of its springs through the relative rotative movements of the casing-sections, the genera-tor will be operated at a practically' constant speed and the lamp rendered and maintained incandescent for a substantial period of time until the motor runs down.

In order that the motor and rotor may be started and stopped at will, a. brake-lever 78 (Figure 4) is fulcrumed at 79 on plate 50 and has a curved end 81 adapted to act as a brake on the disk 82 forming lpart of the governor, a coiled spring 83 normally pulling the brake away from the disk. A

' In a longitudinal slot 84 (Figures 8 and 9) in casing section 11 a thumb-piece 85, carrying a cam-bar 86 inside of the casing is slidable to coact with a reduced end portion of the brake-lever.

In one position of the member 85, the brake will be operative to stop the motor, and in the other position, the brake will'be inoperative, permitting the motor to run the generator.

From 'an understanding of this construction and its mode of operation, it will clear that the above-specified purposes and objects andothers have been attained in a satisfactory manner in the new device, the structural details of which, as well as several ofwits major features,- are subject to motor in said ,casing connected to A'least in part by said pole-pieces, and anstator and a rotor', casing connected to 'casing connected to 4o tor, a re from the heart and essence of the invention as defined by the appended claims.-

I claim:

1.. In a portable electric-li, ;ht appliance, the combination of a portable casing, an electric-generator in said casing, a springdrive said a reflector in said casing enclosed part inside of said generator, an

generator, at least in electric-lamp l bulb in said reflector, and means to permit manual winding up of said motor.

. 2. In a portable electriclightfappliance, the combination of a portable casing, an electric-generator with inwardly-converging pole-pieces in said casing, a spring-motor in said casing connected to drive said genera-l tor, meanspermittingl the manual winding up of said motor, a refiector enclosed at electric-lamp bulb in said reiiector and in the circuit of said generator.

3. In a portable electric-light appliance, the combination of a portable casln an electric-generator in said casing having a a .spring-motor in said drivesaid rotor, means permitting manual winding up of said motor, a reector, an electric-lamp socket en closed at least in part bv said rotor, and in thel electric circuit vof said generator, and an electric-lamp bulb Ain said reflector and socket.

4. In a portable electric-light appliance,

the combination of a portable electric-generator in stator anda rotor,

caslng, an

said 'casing having a a spring-motor in said drive said rotor, means permittin manual winding up of said moector enclosed atleast in part by said stator, .an electric-lamp socket in the electric circuit of said generator and enclosed at least in part by said rotor, and an 'common axis,

electric-lamp bulb "in said reflector and socket.

5. In a portable electric-light appliance, the combination cf a casing, an electric-generator in said casing having a stator with a plurality of inwardly-converging polepieces having faces and a rotor having pole-pieces with corresponding converging faces coacting with the end faces a spring-motor in said casing connected to drive said rotor,

means permitting manual winding up of said motor, a reiector en# closed at least in part by said stator polepieces, and an electric-lamp bulb in said reiiector and in the electric circuit 4of said generator. v

6. In a portable electric-light a pliance, the combination of a casing inclu ing two relatively-rotatable sections, an electric-generator in said casing having a stator with inwardly-converging pole-pieces having outwardly-converging end faces and a rotor composedof a plurality ofbent bars bearing centrally on and secured to rone another but disposed at dilerent angles'about their each bar having a central part with outwardly-diverging intermediate sections terminating in outwardly-couver ing parts in proximity to said end faces o the stator pole-pieces, a spring-motor in said casing connectedA to drive, said rotor, means permitting the manual winding up of said outwardly-converging end of the stator -pole-pieces, -55

motor by the relative turningr of said cas- Y ing sections, a governor regulating the s of the rotor, a reflector enclosed at least 1n part by said stator, a lamp socket in the 

